Fury and Vengeance
by Foreverpoacher
Summary: Mario and Luigi defeated Fawful two years ago, and they that that was the end of him. However, Fawful has been waiting in the shadows, and is finally ready to pour the delicious mustard of DOOM on their lives. Mario and Luigi could barely survive Fawful's Fury. Now, can they survive his Fury and his Vengeance?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, everyone! This is my first fanfic! I HAVE EXCITEMENT!**

Near the back of the woods, a small cave sat, engraved into a mountainside. In this cave sat a desk, littered with papers and folders, each with bright red X's crossed over them. Near the desk, a small, green creature huddled on a makeshift bed. He tossed and turned, and cried to himself. He was having the nightmare again.

Once again, he re-lived years of careful planning, coming up with counteractions to every variable. He started a plague in the Mushroom Kingdom, using special mushrooms he invented. He tricked Koopa King Bowser into eating his special mushroom, and had him get rid of Mario and Luigi. He trained his warrior, Midbus, in case anything went wrong. Then he launched his attack, and conquered Peach and Bowser's castles. He smiled a huge grin as, for a few moments, he ruled the world again.

But his enemies were stubborn. Bowser, Mario, and Luigi worked constantly to wreck his plan. Years of careful planning were made pointless in days. He rushed to complete his plan, but only received half of the power he wanted. Then he cringed as his least favorite part unfolded.

He re-lived spikes, fists, fire, pain, getting eaten. He re-lived red and green, hammers, stomping, pain, exploding. He once again used the last of his dark magic to re-form himself from his scattered, dark remains. He once again crawled, sad and lifeless, to a dark cave.

Suddenly, order was thrown to the wind, his subconscious favoring chaos. He saw Cackletta, shaking her head in disappointment at his failure. He heard the laughing of the Koopa King as the Dark Star floated before him. He reached out, only for it to fly away, and he began to fall…

He sat bolt upright, screaming. He looked around for a few moments, and then remembered where he was. He reached over and grabbed a pair of swirled, blue glasses with a single, large crack down the right lens. A single tear rolled down his round face.

"Fink rats," he muttered under his breath. "The fink rats think Fawful has been beaten. They think he's gone, he's gone…"

Suddenly he screamed, and slammed his fist down on the desk, causing papers to fly everywhere. "Fink rats!" He screamed. "Fink rats of Red and Green that sour the milk of Fawful's life! That burn the marshmallows of his plans and let them fall into the campfire! I HAVE FURY!"

He looked outside at the moon and stars, taunting him with their beauty and happiness. "MY FURY WILL BE KNOWN! SO MUCH FURY BUBBLES LIKE SODA THAT HAS SHAKEN TO EXPLODE! SO MUCH FURY!"

He sat down at his desk, panting heavily. "And soon," he said, picking up an overstuffed folder, "Fawful's fury will be known. Red and Green will know one day how the sour milk tastes! Fawful has finished making them a beautiful sandwich, and they will soon get their serving of mustard. The mustard of their DOOM, which Fawful will pour gleefully over their sad lives! They will know sadness! They will know loss! They will know…

FURY OF FAWFUL!"

**So, yeah, that's the end of chapter 1! Hope you all enjoyed! Bear in mind this is my first fanfic, so sorry if it's not very good. See you all soon for chapter 2!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, I'm back! A quick note is that, since Mario doesn't talk much, he's mainly going to speak Italian. Luigi can speak both Italian and English fluently, though, since he spoke English in the Galaxy games.**

** Well, then… here we go!**

The sky sparkled above the Mushroom Kingdom as small, multicolored pieces of stars raining down from the heavens. It was the night of the Star Festival, and on the streets of Toad Town, young Toad children ran around, laughing and screaming as they competed to collect the most star bits. One Toad had gathered quite the collection, and with a huge smile on his face, held up a large basket of the glowing objects, making his victory known to anyone who could see.

On a hillside, four friends overlooked the scenery. Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Daisy sat, having a picnic, laughing and reminiscing on old times. They stared up at the sky, awaiting the arrival of the comet. Rosalina used to only pass the Mushroom Kingdom every 100 years, but ever since she had made some friends on Earth, she stopped once every year to say hello.

"Look!" Peach said. Everyone gazed up, and saw the Comet Observatory fly overhead, slowing to a stop. The huge space station glittered in the night sky, illuminating the lake it had stopped over. Lumas flew about it, laughing and catching their favorite treat, star bits, as they fell from the sky.

"Mario!" said a scratchy, high pitched voice. Captain Toad was flying down on the Starshroom, waving at Mario and friends. "Hey, everyone! All aboard! We'll take ya straight to the Observatory!"

Meanwhile, a shadowy figure approached Peach's Castle. He mumbled to himself as he neared the doors, where two Toads stood guard, each holding a spear. "Sorry," one began, "but no one's allowed in here without…" but he was cut short by a rock thrown by the short trespasser, which hit him square on the forehead. As he fell forward, the hooded figure rushed to his spear, and smacked the tail end of it into the other guard, knocking him off the side of the bridge, into the moat below. The stranger than dropped the spear and opened the double doors.

"Please still be being here," he said. The castle was mainly deserted, due to the festival, but that didn't stop him from being careful as he searched around. "Fawful will be needing you… Please do not have had the leaving…"

As he opened another door, however, he found what he had been looking for; an odd shaped helmet and a small saucer, lying in a room full of other assorted junk. He rushed over and put the helmet on his head, then jumped on the saucer. It activated, and he took off, out of Peach's Castle, toward the shining Observatory.

"Mario, how truly great it is to see you again." Rosalina smiled as everyone piled out of the Starshroom. "And welcome to all your friends. I am Rosalina, guardian of the Lumas, and overseer of this Observatory."

"It's nice to meet you," Daisy said. "You run this whole place?"

"Yes," Rosalina replied. "This entire place is my responsibility."

"Wow," Peach said. "It's very impressive."

"Yeah," Luigi said, "I got lost here once or twice…"

Rosalina smiled. "Would you all like a tour? We've done a little remodeling since you and Mario last came here."

"Pulito," Mario said. "Let's-a go!"

While our happy group of heroes began their little tour, Fawful's hooded figure approached the miniature sun that sat at the middle of the Observatory. It was strange; it felt warm, but not hot. He resisted the urge to reach out and touch it. Instead, he reached into his sleeve and pulled out a collection of wires, cans, and assorted junk. He had taken daily trips to the junkyard and worked long, sleepless nights to get this sloppy prototype complete. He was hoping he'd have a chance to improve it, but he couldn't wait. It was now or never.

"Now," he whispered to himself, "Fawful's time comes, like the expiration of the yogurt of this kingdom… soon… I WILL HAVE VENGEANCE!"

**That's it! Hope you liked it. I'll try to have Chapter 3 up in a week or two. Until then, don't forget to have chortles! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow… It's been a lot longer than the week I promised. Sorry! I went on a trip, and then had a whole bunch of schoolwork to do… So updating my fanfiction didn't really take top priority. **

** Anyway… We're back!**

Mario and friends sat at a long wood table, an array of gourmet foods spread out before them. "Wow!" Peach said. "You made all of this?"

Rosalina smiled. "Well, it was mostly the Lumas, they are excellent cooks, you know."

"Well," Luigi said, through mouthfuls of spaghetti, "It's amazing! How did get it to taste just like home?"

"Well, we learn a lot, traveling the universe all the time…"

But suddenly, Mario stood up, facing the window, a suspicious look on his face. "Qualcun altro pensa che il cielo sembra strano?" He said.

Luigi stopped eating for a moment and looked through the window. "Mario's right," he said. "The sky does look weird."

The sky seemed to be glowing an ominous purple color. The light pulsed every few seconds, and seemed to become brighter each time. The air, too, felt strange; there was a chill in the air, despite being a rather hot, summer night.

"Hey, look!" Daisy yelled. They all glanced over to where she was pointing. There, the sky seemed to ripple and move over the Beacon. The beacon itself was also emitting the same purple glow, and was shaking slightly.

"What in the world?" Peach said.

But before anyone could answer, bright blue lightning shot out of the Beacon in all directions. Mario and Co. took cover, as lightning flew everywhere, scorching random areas of the Observatory. The Beacon began to shake more violently, and began to rise up into the air. Then, with a loud _BOOM _that shook the heavens, the Beacon exploded in a burst of fiery red.

Lumas screamed and flew around in panic as the Observatory began to fall into the lake. A loud splash signaled its contact with the water as debris fell on everything in sight. The tower at the top of the Observatory broke in two with a loud CRACK, and one half fell directly toward the Kitchen.  
"Everybody JUMP!" Peach yelled, and everyone leaped out of the Dome right before the Tower came smashing down, shattering the roof of the Kitchen and scattering its pieces everywhere.

Mario hit the water and sank down a few feet, then turned around and looked up. Orange light flashed before his eyes as what remained of the Observatory exploded.

He surfaced, and swam quickly to a floating piece of wood. He took a deep breath, and then began to swim around, pushing around the large board. One by one, he found his friends, and using the board for support, swam to shore.

"What happened?" Peach said when they were all ashore. "Was it Bowser?"

Suddenly, a high pitched laugh filled the air, echoing across the night sky, loud enough for everyone within a mile radius to hear.

"I HAVE VICTORY! My plan of very last-ditchedness has been so very successful!"

"No," Mario said, shaking his head as he stared in disbelief at the two things that floated before him. One was a small, beanish creature in a red cloak, perched upon a silver, floating saucer, sporting swirled blue glasses with a large crack down the right lens. The other was the Dark Star.

**That's the end of Chapter 3! Since I went so long without posting, I'll be putting up Chapter 4 today too. Be sure to check that out!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Here's Chapter 4! Let's go!**

Fawful unleashed another laugh as he relished in the glorious carnage around him. Fires were popping up everywhere in Toad Town, Toads and Lumas dashed around, screaming, in total panic. "Behold, tiny mushroom-men and star-things! Behold the wonder that is FAWFUL! He floats above you, like an angry bird above a family of crippled mice!"

He looked down at the lakeshore, and saw five washed-up people, staring up at him. He floated down toward them, the Dark Star following behind him, as if towed by some invisible cable.

"Fawful!" Peach exclaimed.

Who?" Daisy said.

"Fawful!" The bean said. "The great now-king of the Mushroom Kingdom, and soon world! Soon, the UNIVERSE will BOW to Fawful's greatness! Bow like how YOU should VERY MUCH BE DOING NOW!"

"No way," Luigi said. "We saw you-a explode!"

Fawful laughed once more. "No boom could kill my wonderful evilness! It sticks like evil molasses to a tree that is the world! And now it has the power to burn that tree in a bonfire that makes Smokey Bears cry at night!"

He brushed the Dark Star, which floated beside him.

"My God," Peach said. "The Dark Star…"

"Ah, you are confused? Fawful will do explaining! Dark Stars have creation when the universe is re-created at a bad time! When the universe has a hiccup and resets early, Dark Stars pop up like angry moles who give never-ending lectures of darkness! So, when the universe started again, too early, this Dark Star was cooked up, then marinated in the big Beacon for years, until it was deliciously super-powered!"

"Fawful, listen to me," Peach said. "The Dark Star was already too powerful! Now, with it super-charged, there's no telling what it could do! You could destroy everything, including yourself! You've got to destroy it!"

"NOOOOO!" Fawful screamed. The Dark Star shook violently, and a mountain near Peach's castle exploded in a flash of red light. "Your tongue is silver and spits fiery LIES! Fawful knows what you are doing. You are tricking him, so you can hit him and stomp him and KILL HIM! FAWFUL DOES NOT HAVE NASTINESS! IT IS YOU WHO IS THE NASTY!"

He reached out and grabbed the Dark Star. "No!" Peach yelled, but she was drowned out by the sound of Fawful's scream. The Dark Star disappeared in a flash of purple light, and Fawful began to glow a bright red.

In a flash of light, Fawful appeared again. His saucer fell to the ocean, as he no longer needed it. Floating in the sky, Fawful's red cloak had been replaced by a dark purple one, with a black finish. His skin turned to a dark green, and his glasses became a deep red.

"I HAVE PERFECTION! No being in the universe is as strong as Fawful! Fawful is like diamond-coated titanium that can't be cut by the buzziest of saws! Fawful is unbeatable! FAWFUL IS A GOD!"

He looked down at the five heroes. They stood, terrified, below him, mouths agape, unable to move… except one. Mario stood tall, looking Fawful straight in the eye, seemingly unfazed by his glorious transformation.

"Oh, and how could Fawful forget?" The bean laughed, descending until he was just inches from the ground, about ten feet in front of the red-clad hero. "All of this… all of this is for you! This is Mario's coal, because he was very naughty and stopped Santa's evil plans! DOES MARIO LIKE HIS COAL?"

Mario stood silent.

"What bad manners he has! How tacky, like wet sandwiches with expired cheese! He needs a time-out… FOREVER!"

Fawful held out his hand in front of himself, and purple lightning shot out of his outstretched arm. It scorched across the field and right through the red-clad hero, impaling him right through his chest.

"NOOO!" Peach and Luigi screamed in unison. Mario faltered a little, then fell to his knees. After a few seconds, with a thud, the plumber hit the ground.

Suddenly, Fawful's laughter echoed once more as balls of dark purple energy flew out of his hands, exploding as they hit the area where Mario had fell. When the smoke finally cleared, there was a large crater in the ground, and the only thing remaining of Mario was a scorched red cap.

"I HAVE VENGEANCE!" Fawful screamed. "I HAVE VICTORY IN THE END, AS MARIO IS BITING DUST THAT TASTES LIKE DEATH! HE IS GONE! NO ONE CAN STOP FAWFUL NOW! NOW, THE WORLD IS HELPLESS… NOW, THE WORLD IS FAWFUL'S!"

**That's it, the end of Chapter 4! What happens next? Is Mario really gone? What will the world do without him? Has Fawful finally won, once and for all? Find out in Chapter 5!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone! I'm back. Where have I been this whole time? Uhh…..**

**Chapter 5!**

"He needs a time-out… FOREVER!"

Mario meant to jump, but for the first time in his life, he was too slow. He felt a pain like a thousand daggers pierce his chest, and then, he felt cold. He was barely aware of hitting the ground; all feeling, all sound, faded away as he closed his eyes and accepted the icy cold…

Suddenly, the pain was gone. The cold ceased, and he felt weightless and limp. He tried to take a deep breath, but realized that he could not. It was an odd sensation; his instinct told him to breathe, and yet his lungs did not burn from the lack of oxygen. Hoping to find some answers, he slowly, cautiously, opened his eyes.

He was in a familiar setting, dark and cold… With sudden realization, he recognized the place as the Underwhere. But did that mean…?

No, there was no time to think about that. He'd have to find Queen Jaydes. She'd be able to tell him if it was true.

As he began to walk, he couldn't help but feel foolish. All the times he had put his life on the line, and this was his end? All the times he had fought for his life against immeasurable odds, and he died so easily? There was no fight, no epic duel; he simply fell over and died. It was humiliating.

And yet, something told him that it wasn't over. Somehow, as he reached the River Twygz, he was certain that he would get his final battle yet.

In a whole other dimension of reality, a beanish creature stood in a throne room, staring out of a ceramic window. He looked upon the kingdom he had acquired; the sloping hills, blue sky, and little village that sat in the background. He ruled the Mushroom Kingdom… This was his ultimate goal, everything he had wanted… So why did he feel so empty?

He felt no emotion toward the place he had worked tirelessly to conquer. He had failed, many times, in his plans to rule, but now that he finally did he felt hollow, incomplete… as if something were missing. But what?

He had the Dark Star, the source of infinite power, and he was abusing it's evil power gleefully. He had the kingdom, the land he had so dreamed of ruling over for so long. He had his defeated enemies, locked away in a cage far from any light. He even had his old minion, Midbus, whom he had found in a freezer in the depths of Peach's Castle.

And he had the hat.

He had the slightly scorched red hat that signified his greatest victory, his defeat of the great hero Mario, his best trophy. He played it back in his mind… The dark power coursing through his veins as he shot the purple lighting that impaled the hero, then the simple elation, the beautiful glory of firing again and again at the plumber's body until nothing but a hat remained.

And that was it.

Why, then, did he feel so empty? And why did he feel unhappy now, whenever he thought of his greatest triumph?

Was it possible… that this was disappointment? It seemed so anticlimactic, now. In the spur of the moment, he had acted instinctively, and now his moment had faded, unsatisfactorily, into a memory. His final battle, the moment he had craved for years and years, had been nothing more than a quick murder.

Midbus's voice shook him from his thoughts.

"Lord Fawful? Beanbean Kingdom. You wanted to invade?"

"Oh… Yes Midbus. Today, my glorious conquest spreads, like the sticky syrup all over the pancakes of the world! Be getting the soldiers ready. Today, we depart!"

"Yes, Lord Fawful."

Yes, this is exactly what he needed. Another conquest. That would surly get his blood pumping again. Then, he would feel the elation, the wonderful joy of ruling. He just needed to rule a little more. Then he wouldn't feel so empty inside. Then, he wouldn't regret killing Mario.

**So here ends Chapter 5! Hope you guys liked it. I'm SO SORRY for the wait, and I'll try to make sure you never have to wait this long again. Anyway, I'll see you in Chapter Six. Until then, thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey, guys, I'm back! But we have no time for introductions! Let's dive into the story…**

The double doors burst open, and a beanish soldier rushed into the throne room of Queen Bean. He ran to the queen and, bowing hurriedly, said, "My Queen, the battle is lost! You and the Prince need to evacuate, now!"

"Now, now," said Prince Peasley, "calm down! Evacuate my mother if you will, but I stand as a symbol of hope for my people! I will go to the courtyard and fight alongside the brave soldiers. Take my mother and Lady Lima to safety."

"My prince," began the Lady Lima, "I cannot allow you to-"

"Tut! Spare me your worries, we really don't have time for them."

Lady Lima looked desperately at Queen Bean, but the queen simply shook her head. "There's no stopping him, Lima," she said. "He'll go out there weather we let him or not." She then turned to her son. "Promise me that you'll be careful."

"Of course," said the prince, and with his hair flowing brilliantly behind him, he ran out of the castle.

Meanwhile, deep in the cold, subterranean dimension known as the Underwhere, another hero walked down the shoreline of the River Twygz. Mario had a strange determination about him that the Shaydes around him found strange. After all, why would someone need to go somewhere? It's not like he could have anything he needed to do. Nevertheless, Mario continued to march, following the river to his destination, which he knew wasn't far off.

A certain Shayde seemed intrigued by him, however. He approached the plumber cautiously, and then began to walk along side him. After a few moments silence, the Shayde finally spoke.

"And where are you off to on this fine evening?"

The voice made Mario pause. It was barely more than a whisper, and it echoed a little, but somehow seemed familiar to him. He turned to the Shayde, curious, and replied, "vado a vedere la regina Jaydes."

"Ah, yes, the good queen," the Shayde said. "Well, it just so happens that I was planning to pay the queen a visit myself. Would you mind if I were to accompany you on your trek?"

Mario considered a moment, and decided that no harm could come from his interesting visitor. He shrugged, and the Shayde smiled. "Delightful!" It said, jumping in the air a bit. "My name… Well, we don't really have names here, but I am called Stooge. And you are?"

Mario looked up at his new companion. "Im'a Mario!" he said.

"Mario, you say? What an interesting name… Come! I see the ferry."

Fawful breathed in the chaos surrounding him and smiled. Beanbean Castle Town was in ruins, fires burning in the crumpled houses and lighting the night sky. All around, people ran in panic, screaming for loved ones. Children huddled in the streets, crying out for their parents. His new army of Fawfulized toads rampaged around, taking prisoners and burning the few buildings that were still standing. He let out a terrifying laugh. This was the carnage the he relished in.

"Halt, villain!" demanded an all-too familiar voice. Fawful turned to see Prince Peasley, standing heroically, his sword drawn, his golden hair billowing in the wind. "I simply refuse to allow you to torture the good people of my kingdom any longer!"

Fawful's grin widened. "Look what we are having here! The Prince Peasley has come to see the barbeque of the Town of the Castle, which is burning!"

"I suggest you leave now, Fawful," the prince responded, anger seething in his otherwise silky voice, "or I will have to evict you with force!"

"Oh, you are filling Fawful with such terror! Fawful will leave at once!... is what Fawful would say, if he were not laughing at your laughable attempt to stop me, which I laugh at! Fawful is now the all-powerful god! Your resistance is but a nuisance, like an angry fly that buzzes around in Fawful's ear and asks to be swatted!"

Peasley entered his fighting stance. "I suppose, then, that I have no choice. En garde!"

Peasley ran toward Fawful, and the carnage around him seemed to fade away. All Fawful could see was the prince. The boy who was born into power. The handsome adventurer that everyone loved. The one whom Fawful had envied his whole life, as he had constantly struggled to achieve power and respect.

Fawful could not wait to kill him.

Peasley swung his sword, but a barrier appeared around Fawful and stopped the blow. Fawful shot a blast of energy, and Peasley did a backflip, narrowly escaping the blast. Peasley ran forward to attack again, but Fawful moved faster than Peasly could see him. Now behind the prince, Fawful blew up the ground beneath Peasley's feet, sending him flying into the rubble of a house. Peasley lied there, barely conscious, coughing up blood, as Fawful approached him.

"I am having a message for you to deliver," Fawful said. "After you have the dying, tell Mario-"

"Wh-what?" Peasley stammered. "You mean… you mean you k-killed Mario?" He gasped, horror on his bloodied face.

"Yes, no do not have the interrupting!" Fawful yelled. "Be telling Mario that Fawful is waiting for him, and that he still has to finished our final battle, like unfinished fruit cake that sits, waiting to be eaten. Do you have understanding?"

Fawful looked over the prince, covered in blood, coughing, barely alive.

"Good. Goodbye, Prince of Peasley."

And with that, Fawful threw down a sphere of dark energy, and the fire of the explosion danced in his spiral glasses.

**That's it!**

**Before I go, I want to thank you all for reading, and thank you to everyone who took the time to write a review. It means a lot, and I hope you all continue to like the story as it goes on.**

**Anyway, come back next time for part 7! Until then!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm back! Now let's not waste any time and get on with it!**

Mario and Stooge approached the ferry, one determined, the other carefree, which would lead them to the Palace of Queen Jaydes. The old ferryman looked up and began to speak, but the Shayde interrupted him. "Yes, Charold, we'd like to cross the river." He then turned to his companion. "My friend, I'm a tad bit short on funds at the moment. You wouldn't mind paying the fee this time, would you?"

Mario sighed, but didn't complain. He reached his hand down in his pocket and was only the slightest bit surprised to find his wallet there. He wondered how it could still be with him, if his game was indeed over. After a moment, he decided not to question the workings of death, and handed over four coins.

The two of them walked briskly past the hustling D-Men, toward the area where Mario (and, apparently, Stooge,) knew Queen Jadyes would be. As they approached the tall, shadowy figure, she began to speak. "Ah, more who wish to be judged. I am Queen Jaydes, Mistress of the Underworld. Here, in this place, your sins from your time among the living are weighed. If your sins are light enough, the bliss of the Overthere is yours. If not…"  
"We suffer for an eternity among the game-overed?"

"Hmm?"

"Yes," Stooge said, "I came here once before. Your little speech is rather frightening, I must admit. You had me running like a small puppy from the vacuum!"

"Is that so?" The queen replied. "In that case… let us weigh your sins now…"

"Uh, no, wait!" Stooge said hastily. "This fellow was quite determined to be here. I simply tagged along, more or less. I believe you should speak with him first, don't you?"

Jaydes hesitated, then replied, "As you wish. But be warned, you will come next."

"And I do so look forward to it," Stooge replied.

"Now, be still," Jaydes said to Mario. "I will weigh your sins."

A few moments passed as Jaydes's cold, black eyes studied Mario, carefully considering his every aspect, before she gasped and stepped back. "It cannot be! You are the hero, Mario! But… You should have lived a lot longer than it took for you to get here… So that means… You were murdered!"

Mario nodded, then proceeded to tell the tale. Jaydes listened intently, until Mario finished. She then took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. "This is quite the predicament," she said. "You need to return to the land of the living, yet as Queen of the Underwhere, I am not allowed to bring passed souls back to life." She paused. "But… I believe I may know of a way. Follow me!"

Fawful floated by his vacuum helmet over the boundary of the Mushroom and Beanbean Kingdoms. He didn't need to use the old gadget; the Dark Star's power had granted him many abilities, including the power of flight. However, the helmet gave him an odd feeling as he flew; it reminded him of days spent scheming with Cackletta, laughing together as they dreamed of their plans coming together. These moments seemed so far away to him, as if the feeling they brought was forever lost to time. Long gone were the days of planning and planning for months before an attempted conquest; now, whenever he felt like conquering, he just flew off somewhere and killed anyone who opposed him.

Logically, this made no sense to him. Wasn't this easier? Now, instead of wasting all that time planning, he could take over a kingdom in a day. And besides, wasn't this power what he had always wanted? What he had struggled for over the past three years? Of course it was… Then what was this emptiness inside him? How could it be explained?

"It is such simpleness!" He said. "Fawful simply has the sadness because there is still more of the world for him to conquer!"

"Then why does he feel such displeasure in that which I have had the conquering?" He asked.

"Because it is not being enough!" He replied. "I am needing more!"

"But… Sometimes Fawful thinks he is not wanting more…"

"Nonsense!" He snapped. "More always is the better! I am just having nervousness!"

"Why would I have nervousness?" He asked. "Fawful has the all-powerfulness…"

"Because Fawful USED to be weak! But not now! Now he is strong, and will take over the world, like a turkey on the dinner of Thanksgiving!"

"But… What about Mario?"

"Mario has deadness! He cannot stop Fawful!"

"But… I have the feeling that Mario has yet to battle Fawful…"

"Nonsense!"

"But…"

"Have the looking! Mario is dead! Fawful is a god! The world belongs to us!"

But I have…"

"Lord Fawful?" Came the deep, raspy voice of Midbus, from Fawful's pocket communicator. "Who are you talking to?"

Fawful made a jumping motion, which knocked off his helmet. He fell for a few moments before flying on his own. He reached up and caught his falling helmet, placed it back on his head, and then spoke into the device. "No one… That Midbus needs having concern about."

"Ok. You have been gone a long time," Midbus replied. "You said we would take over Koopa Castle today. Do you still want to go?"

Fawful looked down at his communicator, and the image of his minion's face that took up its screen. "Of course. Fawful will have the arriving shortly."

"Ok," Midbus said. "I will see you soon. Goodbye, lord Fawful."

"Byes of goodness, Midbus."

And with that, he hung up his communicator and began to fly, by helmet, back to Peach's Castle.

**That's it for Chapter Seven!**

**Thanks so much for reading, and a special thanks to all of you who reviewed! It really means a lot to me!**

**Well, I'll see you in Chapter 8! Until then!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm back from my hiatus! Let's get going!**

Bowser looked out his throne room window again. He didn't know why- he knew what was out there, and checking twice wasn't going to make it go away. Fawful flew above an army of Fawfulized Toads, with Midbus leading the charge. The Toads themselves disturbed him- their skin was a sickly green, the spots on their heads jet black, and their eyes covered by blue, swirly glasses. They reminded him of when Fawful took over his own troops. It made him sick.

He walked over to his throne and sat down, closed his eyes, and tried to think. There weren't very many good options. He knew how powerful Fawful had become. His troops did outnumber Fawful's, but Goombas and Koopas also weren't the most competent soldiers. Not that it mattered, when Fawful could blow up a squadron just by looking at them. He sighed.

"Your rudeness!" Kamek said, flying into the throne room. "Fawful's army approaches!"

"I can see that, you idiot! I'm not blind!" Bowser roared.

"O-of course. My mistake, your loudness." Kamek replied. "But… What should we do? Evacuate?"

"Evacuate? Are you crazy?" Bowser replied. "There's no way I'm giving Fawful the satisfaction of thinking that I ran scared! Ready the troops! Prepare the cannons! If Fawful thinks we're going down like those Beanbean wimps, he's got another thing coming!"

"It's called the Celestial Fountain," Queen Jaydes said. "It's said that the fountain has the power to bring spirits back to the land of the living, with a new body and everything. The catch is, it only works for people with a powerful connection to the stars. But since you're one of the star children…"

"He should have no problem!" Stooge interrupted. "This is perfect! Mario, you can still save your world!"

"But I warn you," Jaydes said. "Getting there is not easy. You'd have to go through the Way Down Here."

"Cos'è quello?" Mario asked.

"It's a particularly nasty place beneath the Underwhere," Jaydes replied. "Only the worst souls and monsters get sent there. Those beings with too much evil to ever be redeemed."

"Well, that's comforting," Stooge muttered.

"I can send a squad of D-Men to lead you to the entrance, but from there, you're on your own. I'm sorry I can not assist you further."

"Nessun problema," Mario said. "Grazie per l'aiuto."

I must warn you of one more thing," Jaydes said. "When you receive a game-over, you are sent to the Underwhere. This you know. But if you die in your aftergame, there's nothing beyond that. Your very spirit will be destroyed. You must be careful."

"So basically, you're telling us to not die," Stooge said. "Thanks. I doubt we'd have ever come to that conclusion otherwise."

Jaydes glared at him, then turned to Mario. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Mario nodded. Nothing was going to stand in his way. He would have his rematch with Fawful.

Fawful had to admit, he didn't think the Koopa Troop would put up this much of a fight.

The battle was waging on the rocky, black earth in front of Bowser's castle, on a little island surrounded by molten lava on all sides. Bullet Bills flew through the sky and Bob-ombs rained down periodically. All around him, his glorious army of Fawfulized Toads, each holding a spear or sword, fought against hordes of Koopas, Goombas, and Hammer Bros. Magikoops flew around, casting spells at their enemies. Boos appeared out of nowhere to ambush his troops. Chain Chomps ran wild through the battlefield, devouring everything in sight. It was chaos.

And he was loving every second of it.

Cackling at the top of his lungs, he flew into the sky and shot a beam of dark energy at a squad of hammer bros, blasting them to kingdom come. He flew ahead and caught a Bullet Bill in mid air, turning it around and throwing it right back to the Bill Blaster, which exploded into tiny pieces. He laughed again, then flew down to the ground, landing behind Midbus, who was wrestling with a giant Sumo Bro.

"Midbus! Have you readiness?"

Midbus looked at his master, then threw the Sumo Bro over his head and into a crowd of Koopas. "Yes, Lord Fawful."

"Then let us get the going!"

Fawful grabbed Midbus' hand and began to fly. He found his target, and flew over to him, then dropped his minion down. Midbus landed in front of King Bowser with a deafening crash.

Bowser growled. "You? AGAIN? Do you really want me to kick your butt for the third time?"

Midbus snorted. "This time different. You will fall. Fawful will conquer."

The Koopa King roared with laughter. "Yeah, right! Let me tell you something- This world is MINE to conquer. So after I pummel you, I'm gonna pound Fawful and take the dark power for myself. So let's make this quick! Turn into that dumb ice form already!"

Midbus shook his head. "This time, no trick. You fight me. I fight you. Fair."

Bowser laughed again. "Wow, are you really THAT stupid? Alright, I'll give you a fair fight. It'll just make things easier for me! LET'S GO!"

The two brutes rushed towards each other, fist raised. They both punched, and their attacks collided, sending both combatants hurtling back. Bowser got to his feet and shot fireballs toward Midbus, who charged through them and collided with the Koopa King. Midbus pushed Bowser back a few steps, until Bowser shot fire directly onto Midbus' face. Midbus flinched and stumbled back, holding his face in his hands. When he looked up, Bowser charged him and punched, sending Midbus flying back a couple of yards. Midbus hit the ground hard, but quickly got to his feet and charged Bowser again. Bowser went for a punch, but Midbus jumped out of the way, leaving the Koopa King wide open for an uppercut to the jaw.

Fawful watched the two combatants fighting with indescribable glee. They both seemed rather evenly matched, trading blow for blow, their confrontation shaking the battlefield like an earthquake. In fact, most of the fighting had seemed to stop. Koopas and Goombas stood beside corrupted Toads, watching their champions duke it out. Two titans of strength, whaling on each other, fighting with every ounce of power they had… Fawful appreciated how poetic it all was.

Still, he was becoming concerned. As the battle waged on, Midbus became more and more sluggish. He was breathing heavily, and his attacks seemed to be doing less and less to the persistent King of Koopas. Fawful knew he could still conquer the Koopa Troop without Midbus, but that didn't mean he didn't care about his minion. Midbus knew the same pain he did- being defeated, then working so hard to better yourself, only to be defeated again. Fawful knew Midbus wanted to prove himself stronger than Bowser, but he feared that if this kept up, Midbus might get himself killed.

Sweat and blood trailed down Midbus' face as he hit bowser with another punch. The Koopa King was wearing him out, and he knew he couldn't keep up the fight for much longer. Still, he wouldn't back down. He was going to see this through to the end, one way or another.

Bowser pounded him in the stomach, causing him to cough up blood as he hit the ground. He looked up, and saw the Koopa King laughing, standing above him with his claws bared. Bowser didn't look too great- he had bruises all over his face, and his left eye was swolen shut. But that didn't matter, because Bowser wasn't the one lying, close to death, on the black dirt.

Midbus knew he was about to die. One more hit, and the Koopa King would finish him off. Defeated again, with no chance for a rematch this time. Midbus clenched his fists. If he was going to die, he would die fighting. So he got up, as quickly as he could, adrenaline pumping through his veins, and gathered all of his strength into one, last, desperate punch.

He watched Bowser's face go from a look of smug victory to confused terror as the Koopa King flew backwards, into a pillar of rock. The pillar collapsed as Bowser flew through it, eventually falling off the edge of the platform they battled on, into the sea of lava below. There was a deafening roar, and then all was silent. The battle was over. The victor decided.

And Midbus blacked out.

Fawful was there when Midbus awoke. He lurched forward, then winced and fell back onto the bed. He coughed, looked around, then turned his head slowly to face his master. "Lord Fawful?" He said in a weak voice.

"Yes, Midbus?"

"I… I won?"

"Oh, yes. Midbus had the defeating of the Koopa King."

Midbus coughed again, then smiled. "I… Did it. Proved I was... stronger. That I could win… On my… own."

Fawful looked up at the wall of the sick bay of Bowser's castle, with a bittersweet look on his face. "Yes. Yes, Midbus did."

**That's it! I hope you liked it, and sorry for the wait! Anyway, that's all for now. See you next time for chapter 9!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Once again, I'm back. Is anyone even still there? Well, if you are, I applaud you. Now, let's get on with the story…**

Mario and Stooge followed an escort of three D-Men through the dark and dank corners of the Underwhere. Eventually, they came to the edge of a deep chasm, with stairs descending down on it's side, spiraling downward into darkness.

"Well," said one of the D-Men, "this is as far as we can take you. Good luck down there. You're really going to need it."

"Grazie," Mario said. "Siamo in grado di gestire da qui."

As the D-Men scuttled away, Stooge looked over the edge of the chasm. He picked up a pebble, and threw it down into the depths. It fell, getting smaller and smaller in their sight before vanishing completely. They never heard it hit the bottom.

Stooge swallowed. "Are we… sure this is a good idea?" He asked.

"Non devi venire con me, lo sai," Mario said.

"Oh, but I couldn't just leave you to face whatever lurks in there alone!" Stooge replied. "No, that would be indecent of me. Come, then! On we go, like two noble explorers in the land of dark uncertainty! Now all we need are coonskin hats…."

Stooge marched triumphantly onto the staircase, and began the descent. Mario followed behind him. As they treked onwards, descending deeper into Way Down Here, Mario had to admit that he was becoming more and more intrigued by his strange new companion.

The dungeon beneath Peach's castle hadn't held prisoners in years. Now, the cells were full again, now housing the enemies of Lord Fawful. There was no natural light in the dungeons, the only visibility coming from small torches placed sparingly along the walls. Water dripped from the ceiling, as the halls were below the moat, and rats ran from cell to cell, searching for any trace of edible matter.

One rat wandered into a cell occupied by a tall and skinny prisoner. He wore blue overalls over a green shirt, and a green hat with a tear in the back. He had been sitting silently for the past few minutes, desperately trying to fall asleep. Just when he was about to doze off, a small rat climbed onto his arm.

"AAAIIIIIIEEEE!" Luigi screamed as he shot up, shaking his arm violently, until the rat fell off and scurried away. He breathed rapidly for a few moments, then sighed and sat down in the corner of his cell. In his mind, the image of a few days ago kept playing over and over in his mind. His brother, Mario, standing heroically before Fawful, brave and defiant… And then he was shot, through the chest with purple lightning.

Tears flooded Luigi's face as he remembered his brothers last few moments, along with the utter helplessness he had felt. He should have stood with Mario. He should have let him know that he was there to support him, and helped him stand against Fawful… But no. He was too much of a coward. And now he would rot away in this cell for the rest of his life, regretting what he didn't do all those years ago.

The sound of footsteps shook him from his thoughts. He looked up to see the guard, a Fawfulized Toad, making his rounds with dinner. He slid Luigi's food tray under the bars; a cold chicken patty, month-old green beans, and mashed potatoes that were almost frozen solid. He sighed, and pulled the tray over to him.

That's when he noticed something red, sticking out in his mashed potatoes. Cautiously, he touched it. It felt slick and metallic. He looked around the corner to make sure the guard was gone, and then pulled it out. There, covered in potato gunk, was a return pipe.

His mind exploded into a million questions. How did this get here? Where did it go? How had the guard missed it? He turned it around, and saw something etched into its side. Wiping away the potatoes, he saw a message, which had been carved into the pipe. "Use this. Find help," it said.

Luigi wondered who could have possibly sent this to him. He pondering was interrupted, however, by the sound of the guard's footsteps coming around the corner. He quickly threw the item onto the ground, where it grew into a full-sized red pipe. He heard the footsteps of the guard getting closer. There was no time to think about it. Only one thing he could do now.

When the guard rounded the corner, all he saw in that little cell was a food tray some scattered mashed potatoes.

**That's all for now! Thank you all for reading and reviewing! I'm sorry for making you all wait so long for another chapter. I can't promise that I'll improve… in fact, I can't promise that I'll even be able to continue writing this… but I'll try to keep going, and I hope you all will like what I do put out there. Anyway, thanks again for reading, and I'll see you all in chapter 10!**


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